


I'd Know You At Once

by ThatDamnKennedyKid



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, F/M, M/M, Meet-Cute, Orphans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-26 18:29:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21378604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnKennedyKid/pseuds/ThatDamnKennedyKid
Summary: Mikoto has had dreams of these people all his life, bits and pieces he never quite remembers but with feelings that remain.It started to make sense when his half-sister passed away, but it definitely clicked into place when he met Reisi.
Relationships: Awashima Seri/Kusanagi Izumo, Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki, Kushina Anna & Suoh Mikoto, Munakata Reishi/Suoh Mikoto
Comments: 12
Kudos: 132





	I'd Know You At Once

The dreams had been there all his life, half-forgotten on waking with strong and lingering emotions. He'd written them off as he grew up, never taking them seriously until his sister died. 

That was when he met her daughter, Anna, for the first time and thought that there might be something to this. 

He came home the day after the funeral to Homra, the girl in one arm and her surprisingly minimal possessions in the other. 

"Mr. Mikoto!" Misaki jumped up, holding open the door. Tatara and Saruhiko grabbed the bag and suitcase. 

"Damn." Izumo leaned on the bar. "So this is why you needed the week off."

"Yeah." He really wanted a cigarette, but didn't want to smoke around the kid. 

"Who's is she?" Misaki asked, characteristically finding his foot in his mouth. "Oh, uh, oops?"

Saruhiko sighed lowly, hanging his head. 

"My sister's daughter." He hiked her up as she strained to wrap her arms around his neck. "She died a few days ago and didn't have anyone else to leave her daughter to."

"That's right - you don't have parents." Misaki nodded. "Are you planning on keeping her?"

"Of course he is, you dumbass." Saruhiko sniped. "She's his niece."

"I'm just asking because he's not really the eco-friendly type! Stop jumping down my throat!"

"And there's my cue." The woman from Sceptre 4 - a major tech company - who'd been coming here since college stood and laid some money on the bar. "See you around, Izumo."

"See ya later, Seri."

She eased passed them, edging out the door. 

Izumo rounded the bar and approached them. "Want me to take her for a bit while you clear some room for her?"

"Yeah." He looked at her. "I won't be long, okay?"

"Okay." She answered softly. "Please come back."

"I will, no worries." He assured, tapping the tip of her nose. "You're with me now. It'll be fine."

She nodded and let herself be picked up by Izumo, content to sit on the bar and kick her little stocking-clad feet, watching the others bicker.

For his part, Mikoto cleared out the bottom two drawers for Anna's dresses, used his rack for her shoes and got a proper bedset - a gift from his sister some years back - on the bed instead of a bare mattress and two flannel sheets with three caseless pillows. 

He went back downstairs, grabbed Anna and flopped down on the couch. "'M tired."

She curled up on his chest, taking off her little hat, and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Saruhiko left Homra to join Sceptre 4 as a software tech and Misaki was both furious and devastated. The only time he wasn't yelling was when he knew Anna was there. 

Mikoto didn't allow anything foul around Anna. 

"Maybe you should have just told him you love him and wanted him to stick around." Tatara said. 

"What?" Misaki shook his head. "I'm not in love with that traitorous monkey!"

Mikoto knew this would happen, had dreamed it. He'd not gotten really attached, but perhaps that had been the problem. Either way, he couldn't change it then or now, so he let it be. If Saruhiko was content there, so be it. Seri visited the bar. Nothing was stopping him from coming back around other than Misaki's yelling. 

Anna sat in his lap, letting him play with her hair as Misaki went off on another (albeit PG) rant. 

"I'm gonna go for lunch." He told Izumo. 

"Taking Anna?" The barkeep replied, putting his vodkas back to rights. 

"Yeah."

"See ya soon."

He patted his leg and she trotted over. Honestly, he didn't know what he would have done if Anna had of been a normal kid. Instead, she was quiet and attentive, liked glass marbles, posters of NASA pictures full of stars, Victorian-styled porcelain dolls and small cute hats. She could sit for hours in silence rearranging her dolls to her liking. She had a small aquarium with three exotic fish in it that she took professional care of, and often invited new friends up to see them. Despite being school age, Mikoto felt that she wouldn't fit in, would be too odd. He'd hired a part-time teacher to tutor her and took care of the rest on his own. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her. 

That was when he saw _him_. 

"You know, don't you?" Anna asked abruptly. He looked down at her, finding her staring over at the man with the glasses being trailed by Saruhiko. 

"Know what?" He tried. 

"Reisi." She replied, nodding his way. "The Blue King."

"How do you know that?" He scooped her up, keeping their whispered conversation close. "Who told you?"

"I had dreams." She replied, reaching up to play with loose strands of his flaming red hair. "Your red is so pretty."

He blinked in surprise - Anna never failed to amaze him. "Yours too."

She smiled softly, her secret smile for him. "Mikoto."

He butted his head gently against hers. "Anna."

She hugged him tightly. "Don't let him escape."

"Who?"

"Reisi. Not again." 

"Okay, kiddo. I won't." He patted her back. "Feel like sandwiches?"

"Toasted sub." She replied. 

He kissed her cheek. "Sounds good. We'll go to Hespa's."

* * *

He stopped dead when he entered the bar from the upper floor, finding Reisi and Seri sitting in front of Izumo. 

"There's our patron." Izumo smirked lazily. 

"Mr. Suoh, I'm glad you're here." Seri gestured to the man next to her. "This is my boss-"

"Munakata Reisi." He finished, mind bringing up the dream of their final fight, the surrender to Reisi when the sword went through his chest. 

Reisi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Does my reputation proceed me?"

He staunchly ignored Izumo and Seri's gobsmacked stares. "How could I not know the name of the man who runs Sceptre 4?"

"I don't tend to get recognized when I'm dressed down, believe it or not."

"The blue coat is pretty garish."

Seri's mouth fell open in horror, but Reisi just chuckled. "To some. It's a recognition ploy, not a fashion statement."

"Mission accomplished then." He sauntered over to the bar, leaning back against it with both elbows. "What brings a fatcat like you down to a dive like this?"

"I'll have you know I had this imported from Britian." Izumo interjected. 

"My second mentioned that you might be worth meeting. I believe her words to Mr. Kusanagi were _He definitely needs to get out more._"

"Sir-!"

"Not here, Seri."

She huffed. "Reisi-"

"I suggested he meet you, since you haven't been on the prowl lately." Izumo smirked. 

He rolled his head back on his shoulders. "You know damn well why."

The door to the bar jingled and Tatara escorted Anna inside, carrying her school bag on his shoulder. She looked so prim in her little outfit, so sweet and fragile. She walked right up to him, holding out her arms. 

"Hey, darlin'." He purred, picking her up and sitting her on his lap, letting her cuddle. "How was school?"

"Mr. Weismann and Mr. Yatogami are very good." She replied, pressing her face into his collarbone. "I know why you chose them."

"Yeah, figured you might." He nuzzled the top of her head. 

"Oh." Reisi blinked. "You have a daughter."

"My sister passed away." He said by way of elaboration, hoping that Anna wouldn't scare him off. She hadn't in the dream world, but they were all different there. Reisi might feel different here. 

"I see." Reisi's face softened, that old, hidden sympathy rising to the surface. "How long ago?"

"Better part of six years now." He pet her hair. "I'm the only family she's got. And this lot, I suppose." He raised an eyebrow back in challenge. "Is that an issue?"

"Not at all. I'm even more interested now." Reisi offered Anna his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, young lady. I quite like your dress, and your hat."

She shook his hand back without hesitation. "I like your blue."

Reisi smiled. "Thank you very much."

She looked back to him. "I also like purple." Then she slid off his lap, took her bag from Tatara and disappeared upstairs to do her homework. Adolf would let it slide, but Kuroh was another matter. 

He double-checked Reisi's expression and was relieved to find his attention unchanged. 

"I look forward to seeing you again, Suoh Mikoto. Perhaps on my terms, next time."

"I get bored easy, so don't be looking for me to be content with finger food."

"I assure you, hors d'oeuvres will be the last thing on your mind." Reisi stood, dropped a hundred on the bar, and left. 

"Wow." Izumo commented. "So, are you married now?"

Seri couldn't pick her jaw up off the floor. 

He tossed the bartender a grin. "If Anna has her way."

* * *

Kissing Reisi was just like he'd imagined it'd be - like fighting and fucking all at once, hands in hair and limbs tangling together. 

Reisi was a dominant man, and expected his orders to be followed. Mikoto was a hood rat, a former yakuza enforcer and submissive to no one, but more than playful enough to mess with Reisi's senses. 

Backed against a wall in Reisi's office, he let the other man control the kiss, allowing the illusion of control, before he slipped sideways, wedging his knee in the open space between the CEO's legs. 

Reisi gasped against his mouth and he took the opportunity to bite at his bottom lip. "That's it, honey. Show me your true colours."

Reisi narrowed his eyes, using another rough kiss as a counter-attack. He only grinned, grabbing those navy slacks by the ass and making him grind, slow and filthy. Reisi grabbed a vicious fistfull of his har and yanked it back, biting into the straining tendon of his neck without mercy. 

"Don't think getting me to moan means you've won." Reisi growled, licking around his ear. 

"Ain't no shame in enjoying yourself." He teased back, purring his words. Reisi might have a deep voice, but he knew he had the rough timbre, and Reisi fell all over it. 

"I don't submit to anyone."

"I can't imagine you trying." He grinned, abruptly spinning them around and hiking one of Reisi's long, long legs around his hip. "So c'mon, use me like a sex toy. Get what you brought me here for."

"I don't find the act of demeaning another to be arousing."

"Oh, honey, but your pleasure is my pleasure." He rolled their hips together, the grind sickly-sweet and hard like sour candies, and cupped that sharp jaw in his hand. "You wanna grind on me till you come? Go for it - I'll spin you around when you're done and use that sexy ass to get me off. You wanna ride me instead? I'll lay there and watch you work, enjoy the way your thighs quiver. Even if you wanna get bossy underneath me, I'll let you show me the best way to pound that sass right out of you. Ain't nothin' demeaning about that."

Reisi, never one to be outdone, hiked both legs up and pulled them close, arching and pressing their chests together. "You seem to be under the misconception that I won't tie you to the bed, ride you until I come and leave you there."

He squeezed Reisi's ass hard, brushing against his hole. "Try me."

"You seem to know how to push all my buttons." Reisi licked his lips. "However will I thank Seri?"

"A box of condoms and a nice card."

Reisi's laugh was cut off with a wobbling groan, sinking into the way he played with the CEO's hole through his slacks. "I've never been one to hire on the spot. Demonstrate your skills and we'll see if you're worth a chance."

"Tough talk for a guy who's body is so slutty. You're crying out for me already and I've just reached my first interview." He tutted, running his nose along the other's jawline. 

"If you're going to call me juvenile names, you're welcome to leave."

"What's wrong with having a slutty body?" He bit harshly on the tender flesh of his neck. "I'm all for it. I want it as much as it wants me. What I wouldn't do to reduce it to exhausted and overstimulated shivers." 

"Your confidence is certainly remarkable."

"Not undeserved either, you'll find."

"It's not the policy of any good company to let talent go."

"I had to take care of Anna. Nothing mattered more than her."

"Suave and responsible. Did Seri give you a cheat sheet?"

"Never studied for a test a day in my life. I'm a more tactile learner." 

"Then by all means, commence the demonstration."

He licked into Reisi's mouth. "As you wish, Fourth King."

He got busy before Reisi's confusion could register in his mind or his words. 

| | | 

He flopped down next to Reisi, soaked in sweat and panting hard. He usually only got this much exercise chasing a target, but man, he'd forgotten how much he _liked_ it. And with Reisi . . . Those dreams didn't do the man justice. If in that world he'd have been able to tap into the Blue King, he was a damned fool for missing the chance. 

"How do you feel about staying on as my personal assistant?" Reisi managed, himself delirious and exhausted. 

"I've only got part-time available. The little one is my full-time career."

Reisi hummed. "Don't get more responsible and respectable - I'll just find you more attractive."

"More, eh?"

"I'm not prone to letting any random in between my legs."

The legs in question were black and blue on the inner thigh where he'd been busy biting and sucking. The ass they were attached to was probably sore, considering the way he'd smacked it. The hips were bruised too, from his grip. 

"I'm honoured."

"You should be." Reisi looked at him, seriously. "In the interest of transparency, I do want to see you again. Perhaps in a less scandalous setting."

"I think having my way with you in the bathroom of a bar would be more scandalous, wouldn't it?"

Reisi snorted. "As long as you're buying dinner. But I choose where we go."

"Naturally. I'm not that much of a pain in the ass."

"I should hope not. Two would be a crowd."

He chuckled. "As long as you know you're a princess."

"Does that make you my shining knight?"

_The Blue King staring him down after another night of shit disturbing, a small sigh and judgemental stare. They were always at odds, and the Reds were always the delinquents. It was Munakata who always did the saving, who always cleaned up the mess. _

"Not exactly." He blinked the vision away. They were inconvenient not-memories that bled into the real world and messed with his mind. It was so easy to slide into the fantasy, with them all, without exception, being so similar - evening himself. Annoying. "I'm too much of a lowlife to be a knight."

"Please, I wouldn't accept trash into my house." Reisi huffed and he was unreasonably reassured. Reisi's judgement had always been impeccable, and always trustworthy. 

"Well, I should update my business card."

"Shut up and sleep before I change my mind."

"Sure thing, princess."

He was met ungracefully with a pillow right in the face that made him cough and sputter in surprise, but Reisi laugh. 

"You're such a high-maintenance broad."

"Get used to it. I'm always like this."

He bit down on _I know_. Maybe one day, he could tell Reisi about the dreams, about how Reisi was always the one to balance him, was the one he could trust to cut him down when he needed to. 

_You're the only one for me._ He wanted to tell the man smiling at him. _I've been in love with you since before I knew who you were. I adore you. I don't ever want to lose you again. I want to have you this time. _

But he just kissed the thoughts into that open face, unwilling to let this be spoiled.

"Do I get to stay over the night, your Majesty?"

"I suppose you've earned that luxury." Reisi rolled over. "But I'm the big spoon."

"In your dreams, princess."

* * *

"Did you get mugged?!" Misaki shouted as soon as he walked through the doors of Homra. 

"Huh?"

"You're covered in bruises and you look tired! Who did it?! I'll kill 'em!" Misaki declared, rushing the door.

"I didn't get mugged, pint-size." He poked Misaki on the forehead. "Cool it."

"A fight, then?"

Izumo made eye contact with him across the bar, looking decidedly smug. "I'm sure the other guy looks just as marked up."

He smirked back over Misaki's confused little head. "Worse."

"Good. All that work convincing Seri wasn't for nothing, then."

"I'm not going to thank you."

"I didn't think you would. I just got sick of seeing you around here so much." Izumo got more serious. "And you need some adult company. Six years is a long time, Mikoto."

"I know. But I don't regret it, either."

"Didn't say you had to, but you've got help."

"Wait, what are we talking about now?" Misaki cut in. 

"Don't worry about it." Izumo brushed him off. "Just the adults talking."

"I'm an adult too!"

He hummed in amusement, tracking over the bar to find Anna sitting with Tatara and one of her teachers, Weismann. They were going over a math assignment he'd given her in a corner, speaking lowly, but her eyes were focused on him. 

He wandered over, reaching down to pet her head. "I'm home tonight, no worries."

"Reisi was okay?"

"Yeah. Same as always."

"Alright." She looked back to Weismann and he couldn't help but smile at her dismissal. He wandered across the bar to the stairs leading up to the apartments (he lived in one with Anna, Izumo in the other). 

"I'll never get over the way you two just magically know what the other is saying." Izumo shook his head. "It's cool and weird."

He shrugged non-committally and headed upstairs for a nap. They might not be blowing up parts of the city, but Reisi could still tire him out.

* * *

Reisi wasn't a constant presence in his life, but he was certainly a continuous one. Seri was a more regular appearance at Homra, sometimes even showing up in the sex aid she called a uniform and flirting coy and subtle with Izumo. And, inevitably, if Seri and Reisi were there, so came Saruhiko. 

Misaki didn't care for that shit at all. 

"What the hell brings you into our bar, monkey?" Misaki snapped. 

"I'm out for a drink with my _boss_, Mi~sa~ki~."

"Fushimi." Reisi reprimanded. 

"Yata." Mikoto muttered at the same time. 

"Fine." The two of them spit together, sitting on opposite ends of the bar and sulking. 

Reisi sighed, sitting on a couch beside Mikoto. Anna was on Mikoto's lap, her little legs on Reisi's. 

"Are they always like this?" The CEO murmured. 

"Yeah." Anna shifted and cuddled closer, pulling his black jacket over her head. "Saru used to be here with us, then Seri offered him a job. Yata blames him for abandoning us."

"He just got a new job." Reisi sounded genuinely confused. And yeah, maybe it was an overreaction in this world, but both he and Anna knew he couldn't help feeling those old wounds, even if he didn't know they were there. 

"Yata sees us as a family, and we kind of are. Especially after I brought Anna home." He nudged Reisi's knee with his own. "They were both orphans together that got jobs at Homra, then as enforcers. When Saruhiko left, Yata was all on his own for the first time in his life. We mean a lot to him, but Fushimi was a pillar that just up and left one day."

"He can be rather unorthodox." Reisi continued to study them, strewd and calculating as always. "I suppose not unlike you and I."

"Worse, because they're both hotheads, even if Fushimi is better at hiding it."

"He's never given me that impression."

"That's because you've never been there when someone thinks they can mug his skinny ass. He keeps kunai in his pockets and always goes for the throat when he punches."

Reisi blinked in surprise.

"Not everyone's been blessed to stay out of the gutter, princess." He chuckled in amusement. "And he's an orphan. That's even worse. You can take the rat out of the hood, but he'll always bite."

"Apparently. I'll make sure not to scare him when I need something."

"Wise choice."

"They'll come together." Anna said with certainty.

"Oh yeah?" He petted her back. 

"You weren't there, but they did. They came together."

"I look forward to seeing it this time."

"What are you two talking about?" Reisi asked, brow furrowed in concern. 

"We have similar dreams." He replied, skirting the subject. 

"Similar dreams? As in, you dream of the same thing or have aligned aspirations?"

He raised an eyebrow. "She's nine, Reisi."

"I had aspirations at nine."

"You'd be discounted in statistics." He huffed. "We have dreams that are the same."

"What about?"

"A lot of the people we know, just in a different world." Putting it mildly. "Sometimes stuff happens that happens in real life."

"Interesting. Have you mentioned it to the others?"

"Nah. They just let us go."

"For someone so straightforward, you hold many secrets, Mikoto."

"Gotta do something to keep the romance spicy."

Reisi looked scandalized for a moment before Anna took his hand. 

"I like you and I know Mikoto likes you." She said, all wide eyes and intensity. "I want Mikoto happy."

"Ah." Reisi coughed awkwardly. "Is that so?"

"It is." She affirmed, squeezing his hand. 

"And you think I am the best candidate for this?"

"You're the only one." Anna said firmly. 

"My kid's dictating my love life. So weird." He pressed his palm to his forehead, letting his head tip back with a rueful smile. "Are you gonna meddle with them too?"

"Misaki doesn't understand, and events that helped him before won't happen."

Reisi frowned. "Did you get that?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it." He curled his other arm around her waist, pulling her close. "It'll work itself out, Anna. Promise. Just look at Seri and Izumo."

"Yes, that's right." She snuggled up against him, closing her eyes. "Nap?"

"Go for it."

"I can see why you thought school might be hard on her." Reisi dropped his voice lower, despite Misaki looking like he was getting ready to yell any minute. 

"She's special, and I don't want to see her hurt."

"You're very generous and loving for someone of your background."

"Yakuza are very family oriented." He smirked. 

Reisi stumbled. "I meant no disrespect-"

"It's fine. I'm playing with ya." He nudged their shoulders. "I'm not yakuza anymore. Not since Anna."

"What do you do? What do all of you do?"

"Hired fists, mostly. Some work the bar, others take jobs. Get paid to beat up on cheating husbands, shitty boyfriends, dissuade stalkers, that sort of thing. Keeps the lights on."

"Quite." Reisi side-eyed him. "And you?"

"I do more than that." He pet Anna's hair like she was a sleeping cat. 

"More violent?"

"More personal."

"Are you going to elaborate?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"You might wish to reconsider." Reisi crossed his legs. "I've no interest in someone who can't be honest with me."

"Even in the event that honesty would compromise your person?"

"Even so."

He sighed heavily. "Tomorrow at your place."

"I accept your terms."

"This isn't a negotiation." He was more authoritative than his tone usually took, more defensive too. "They don't know and I wanna keep it that way."

"I understand." Reisi's voice was soft, sympathetic. "I didn't establish Sceptre 4 with the cleanest hands either."

They left it at that, enjoying the moment when Saruhiko's staunch, unmoved and tense posture finally made the antsy Misaki explode in a fit of rage.

| | |

He closed the door to the apartment, finding Reisi waiting at the immaculate kitchen island expectantly. With an irritated sigh, he spoke. 

"I used to be an enforcer and a hitman for my Family. When I got Anna, I told them I had to go. They offered me a chance to stay, but keep my hands clean to protect my little girl. They gave me a million dollars as an investment on the condition that I launder their money. I took the deal and bought Homra from Izumo so if the business went down, it didn't take him, even though he runs the place still in all but name. Then I bought a small apartment complex and rent to my people. I get to keep the money I make and the Family gets clean money."

"I was expecting worse, the way you spoke about it."

"They don't know where I got the money from and I don't want Anna in that mess."

"Fair enough. I have a few yakuza investors on my own end, even though we mainly work on government contracts."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "Now?"

"I'm not kicking you out, if that's what you mean."

"Good. Got Anna taken care of till tomorrow and wanted at you again."

"Insatiable." Reisi shook his head. "I suppose I'll have to indulge you for your honesty."

"I've always responded well to positive reinforcement."

"Then I'll have to keep dog treats on hand."

"Careful though," he rumbled, stepping into Reisi's space, "I bite."

* * *

He was walking back to Homra with Anna holding one hand and her backpack on his shoulder when she tugged on him, pointing to an alley where Misaki and Saruhiko looked like they were either going to throw fists or fuck. 

"Oh boy." He muttered. "You gonna stay out here with me or go inside?"

"I'll stay here." She said resolutely. 

"'M I okay to have a smoke?"

"Yes."

He didn't smoke nearly as much as he used to - come to think of it, neither did Izumo - but the habit still kicked up when a situation that would give him a headache appeared. Misaki and Saruhiko were good at that, if nothing else. 

"-would I want to stay in a shithole like this all my life?" Saruhiko argued. "Just because it's convenient for you?"

"What the fuck does that mean?" Misaki snapped like a hungry shark. "This was our home! Do you forget so quickly that it was Mikoto who let us in and gave us a place? What kind of ungrateful bastard are you?"

"What luxury." Saru drawled. "A hitman takes in a few street rats, makes them gangbangers and when one finds a way topside, he's the asshole."

Misaki recoiled. "He never made us do anything."

"Lick his boots some more if they mean that much to you."

"Huh?"

"Whatever." Saru looked away. "What you do with yourself doesn't matter to me."

"Don't try and blame your decision to abandon your friends on Mikoto."

"I didn't abandon anyone."

"You stupid fucking monkey-"

"So, what wound up happening between them?" He asked Anna after taking a drag.

"After you died, Homra started to fall apart." She relayed. "The Silver and Gold kings vanished, Blue cleaned up after it all and the Green king rose up, ready to destroy the world."

"Who took over as Red?"

She squeezed his hand. "I did."

"Nice." He squeezed back, pulling her to stand in front of him so he blocked the wind. "Then?"

"Green came for me. His plans escalated and eventually, Saruhiko went undercover at Reisi's request. Misaki thought he had abandoned Blue as well. Misaki wound up saving Saruhiko's life and they bonded again."

"How about that." He took another long drag. 

"Misaki said that Reisi was Saruhiko's true king and therefore he hadn't abandoned anybody, only been true to himself. He also said that if Saruhiko had only told him that, they wouldn't have had to fight."

"Right. Seems I missed a lot."

"Your Red became my Red. I saw, so you did too."

"Sweet of you to say." He tapped her nose just to see her blink in surprise. "But those circumstances aren't open to us now, are they?"

"No."

"Let's sort this shit out, then. I'm sick of hearing them."

"Reisi doesn't like it, you mean."

"That to."

She smiled at him with a breathy laugh. 

"-throw a punch, don't pussyfoot around it, just do it." Saruhiko sneered. "Otherwise you're wasting my time."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, do traitor!"

"You're all talk and hot air." Saruhiko smiled meanly. "Mi~sa~ki~."

Misaki's blood visibly shot to a boil and he indeed readied a swing. Saruhiko was tensed to dodge. 

"Isn't this emotional meltdown taking place during work hours?"

Both of them froze, Misaki immediately simmering down. 

"Your relationship with Munakata has made me an errand boy." Saru huffed. "Don't blame me."

"You damn monkey-"

"Yata."

"Sorry, Mr. Mikoto." Misaki breathed out heavily, still glaring at Saru. 

He took another long drag, just staring at them. As much as Saru might not like to acknowledge it, his judgement still affected the younger man. 

"You two need to fuck it out."

Misaki gasped, eyes darting to Anna at his side. Even Saru looked scandalized. 

"Huh?"

"You two," he said more slowly, "need to have some loud and rough sex and work the feelings out of your system."

"Sex with the monkey? Are you serious?"

"As if you haven't before." He raised an eyebrow. "Saruhiko left because he had a good opportunity. Can't blame someone for wanting better for themselves, going to a place where they actually fit in."

"I- uh- what?"

Anna walked over to Saruhiko and took his hand. "It's okay. You just need to use your words, not hide behind them."

"You are one creepy little girl."

She smiled. "I want you two happy again."

"You're barely old enough to remember me being part of Homra."

She didn't reply, just went back to him. He stroked her hair. 

"So, fuck it out." He tossed keys to a vacant apartment at Misaki. 

"Stop swearing in front of Anna!" Misaki barked. "What's gotten into you?"

He shrugged and walked off, stubbing out his cigarette. "Bored, I guess."

| | | 

"Fushimi was limping at work today." Reisi said idly, sipping champagne at the upscale restaurant they'd made reservations at. 

"You limp a work all the time." 

Reisi shot him a withering glare but he only grinned back in answer. He was already pushing it walking into this place in black jeans, a black tee and a red sports jacket. It made his arms look nice, though, so Reisi had refrained from commenting too much, lest he not see it again. There was only so much he was willing to change and he expected similar resistance from Reisi - he'd never get the man into a puffer jacket and loose, low-slung jeans and he didn't want to. He had a feeling Reisi felt much the same. 

"He was also covered in bruises."

"He plays rough, no matter what costume he puts on."

"Are you going to give me a straight answer or do I have to pull it out of you during sex?"

"He slept with Yata and I may have pushed them to get together."

"What would possess you to do that?"

"I've known them longer than you, Reisi." He pointed out. "They were always steps away from lovers. I'm tired of watching them dance. One day, one's gonna say something they can't take back and break the whole thing."

"I suppose that's as good a reason as any." He sat back in the booth, assessing. "What really happened between them?"

"Fushimi mistook hero worship as a lost friend." He rolled his shoulders. "I won Yata's loyalty getting them off the street, but Fushimi isn't won over so easy."

"He wasn't loyal?"

"He works for you, doesn't he?" He wanted a smoke. Maybe he could convince Reisi to shotgun it into his mouth on the drive back to the Blue King's apartment. "I never held it against him - Fushimi's a better fit with you anyway, makes him happier, even if he doesn't say it. Yata's with me because that's where he belongs. They just don't talk about it and make assumptions. It's tiresome."

"As opposed to you, who just reads his partner's mind and knows what to do."

_I've known you for a lifetime already, _he wanted to say, _I've already tasted smoke on your lips. I just didn't get to keep it. I don't want those mistakes to haunt my steps here. _Instead, he smirked. "Something like that."

Reisi huffed. "Insufferable."

"And yet, as soon as we leave, I'm gonna kiss you senseless and you're gonna let me."

Reisi crossed his arms and closed his eyes, head tilted down. "Something like that."

"What are we waiting on?"

"The _food_?"

"I only get excited about food when it's on your chest."

"_Mikoto_."

"_Reisi_."

"Completely inappropriate."

"True."

"If we leave now, I'll blow you on the drive back."

"You'll do that anyway."

"Would you rather I finger you on the way home?"

"How would that even work?"

"Those fancy seats of yours have a gap in the back."

"And how would your hand move with me sitting on it?"

"If I find your prostate, I don't gotta move."

Reisi shifted minutely. "Unfortunate. I want food."

He slumped back in the seat with a sigh. 

"Pardon him." Reisi said to their waitress, who eyed him dubiously. "He's a barbarian."

"Oh, don't worry about it." She leaned in conspiratorially. "I've got a taste for bad boys myself."

Reisi's face fell in horror, then shifted into that sharp, sly cunning. "And this is him on his best behaviour."

She nodded. "I see. Then I should remind you that the table cloths are floor-length and the place is dark. Just don't make much noise and you'll be able to enjoy your, uh, _meal_ uninterrupted."

"I like you." He commented, slouching more to let his shirt show off his abs and long legs. "Make sure to tip her in hundreds, Reisi."

She flushed and bowed out. 

"So, you want me to slip under the table now, or?"

"Shut up, Mikoto."

* * *

Fushimi and Yata both burst into Homra violently, making Seri, perched at her spot on the bar, jump. Tatara was helping Anna with her math homework at a booth and both looked up curiously. 

For his part, he'd been enjoying a nap on a couch nestled in a cozy corner of the bar where he could watch comings and goings. He groaned when the two whirlwinds entered, silent for once which meant they had a cooperative target. 

Fushimi slammed his hand down on the bar violently. "When were you going to tell me you got engaged?"

"Huh?" Seri managed. 

"You heard 'im! When, Mr. Kuzanagi? When were you gonna tell me you got engaged to Awashima?!"

Izumo stared in surprise for a moment before sighing heavily and taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. "Try, at the engagement party I was planning? It's annoying to have to tell you all individually."

"Does Munakata know?" Fushimi demanded. 

"No?" She looked so genuinely confused and overwhelmed, the poor thing. Fushimi and Yata at once was a lot to handle. "Why would I tell him?"

"This is not going to reflect well on the company."

"Fushimi, you, me and Munakata are the top three personnel at Sceptre 4 and all three of us are sleeping with people from this bar."

"Who's Munakata sleeping with?" Yata demanded. "Why does no one tell me anything?!"

Fushimi waved her off. "I came from this shithole, I get to sleep with people from here."

"Oh, so I'm just people now?"

Tatara choked on his drink. 

"Will you shut up for one fucking moment in your life, Misaki?" Fushimi hissed. 

Seri looked back and forth between them, unable to keep up with the conversation (escalating into yelling, actually) and stood. "I've gotta go."

"Don't abandon me like this, Seri." Izumo pleaded. 

She just shook her head and walked out. 

"WHO IS MUNAKATA SLEEPING WITH?" Yata shouted. 

Izumo smacked him down. "No yelling in my bar. And he's with Mikoto."

"Gee, thanks." He grumbled, rolling over onto his side. "Rat bastard."

"Wuh- Huh?" Yata's face dropped. "Since when? How did that shit happen? Wait, is that why you pushed this monkey and I together?"

"Worked, didn't it?" He grumbled. "Should have left it alone."

"You should all get married."

In stunned silence, they all turned their gazes to Anna, who was staring back at them.

"Say what?" Yata wheezed. 

"You should all get married. Izumo and Seri, Misaki and Saruhiko, Mikoto and Reisi."

"Not all of us are ready for marriage." Izumo tried to dissuade her. 

"You all fit. You should all marry and be happy."

"Does it have to be immediately?" He murmured, drawing their incredulous looks. "I'm pretty sure Reisi isn't off for another few hours and I wanted a nap."

"You have some time. But soon."

"Cool." He rolled back over. "I'll propose tomorrow."

"What in the actual fuck just happened?' Fushimi muttered.

* * *

Saruhiko and Misaki were the first to get married, having a shotgun wedding three days later and moving into Saru's apartment. 

"You did that on purpose, didn't you." 

Anna nodded, watching the newly married couple argue over which can of lentils they were going to buy. "Your ring is very nice."

He hadn't known that Reisi was sitting on a proposal ring of his own, but there were stranger surprises, he supposed. Nastier ones too. "Is this working out how you want it to?"

"Yes. Everyone is happy."

"Are you happy?"

She looked up at him, taking his hand. "Everyone is here, everyone is alive. You and Tatara are here. There is nothing else I could want more than that. I love you, Mikoto."

He picked her up, holding her tightly as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. "I love you too, Anna."

He felt one of her arms move, then he felt Reisi at his back, one arm resting gently on her back while the other wrapped around his waist. 

"Like it should be." She murmured, only audible to them. 

"Yes, it is." Reisi murmured back. "We did it right this time."


End file.
